Pages

Monday, March 18, 2013

"All Over the World" by Electric Light Orchestra

Pop Bits: Although the film "Xanadu" was a box office disaster, the soundtrack was a major hit with side A filled with songs by Olivia Newton-John and side B with songs by ELO. The first single from the soundtrack was ELO's "I'm Alive" (#16) and it ended up being a gold record. The second single, Olivia Newton-John's "Magic," ascended to the #1 spot the same week that this next single from ELO hit the chart. Although it wasn't a gold seller, it did slightly better on the chart than "I'm Alive."

ReduxReview: I'm a little surprised it didn't fare better on the chart, however the next chart will reveal that ELO went into competition with themselves when the title track would be released, so that could play into the lesser chart position. I like this song much more than their previous effort "I'm Alive" and it's more memorable. It's definitely a good slice of ELO.

ReduxRating: 7/10

Trivia: Although he would appear as himself in "That's Entertainment, Part III" in 1994, "Xanadu" was Gene Kelly's final film role. Of the notorious bomb, Kelly has said that the concept of the film was terrific, but that it just didn't come out well. Since that time, the film has become a cult hit and was turned into a Broadway musical.